Colin Oakes July We took a holiday in Ann Chance Phil Holt October speaker August September speaker speaker Always a quiet period as we drifted through Summer with a number of groups deciding to take a short break to enable members to reconnect with their families. September was the month for the T&D U3A AGM, given it was the second year in a row that its been held in September then it must now be a tradition?? We’re pleased that so many of our members were enthralled by the prospect of attending the AGM that as a reward we invited back Ann Chance as our speaker to provide some light relief. As our membership numbers continue to rise we reached a new peak at the October meeting with over 260 members attending, getting close to standing room only? Weatherwise, it’s impossible not to mention the weather. Halloween was again memorable as a late summer’s day as it has been for the last three years apparently? You may, or may not, believe in climate change but something’s afoot Trips and Events have, as usual, been busy with two trips, the first to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex and the second to the Royal Albert Hall for a backstage tour and concert. AGM Please note that what follows are notes on the AGM and do not constitute the definitive record of that meeting. Master of ceremonies for the AGM was the Secretary Mike Batson. Chairman’s Report The Chairman George Porter gave a quick review of the past year covering trips and events, theatre group visits, the Open day and the Barn dance. Referring to membership it continues to rise having passed the 600 mark. Regular attendees to the monthly meetings may have noticed that the meetings are busier with attendance now averaging over 200 members/meeting. George thanked the committee members and group leaders for their contribution to the success of Tadley and District U3A. Group Co-ordinator’s report Mike Cassidy gave an update on group activity. We currently have about 50 groups with an average membership of 12. Groups vary in size with the largest being Aviation, Country & Western, Exploring with Bus Pass, Lunch and Theatre groups. Over the year we have lost the Travel, Fishing and Jewellery groups while gaining RummiKubs, Mini Wobbly Wheels and Geocaching groups. As group liaison Mike thanked the group leaders for all the effort they put into running their groups. Treasurer’s Report The Treasurer Mervyn Pugh presented the report. At the time the accounts were audited we had a membership of 575 and our financial position remains strong. Over the year income was down £2,342 primarily due to the reduction in membership fees to £15. Expenditure rose by £1,122 mainly due to increased membership and associated hall hire charges. Monthly meeting and speaker charges are also rising. In line with the aim of keeping the membership fees affordable the committee reduced the membership fee to £12 for this year. When asked whether there were any questions David Gent requested that details of the Social a/c be added to the statement of finances. David Gent also flagged up a change in Charity Commission requirements to publish details of Reserves policy. The Treasurer will investigate both of these items. Motions There was a single motion from the Executive Committee to change the OBJECTS clause (Clause 3) of the constitution of Tadley and District U3A to the Charitable Purposes clause of the current Model Constitution (see document on website for full details). The motion was passed. Mike then moved on to nominations for officers of the U3A which were unanimously accepted. Chair: George Porter Vice-Chair: Ken Pickering Secretary: Mike Batson Treasurer: Mervyn Pugh Followed by nominations for members of the executive committee which were unanimously accepted. Bob Bone Jacki Cassidy Mike Cassidy Margaret Grinstead Colin Hewitt Roland Higgins Carol Phipps Angie Pickering We are pleased to welcome Carol Phipps as a new member of the committee. Mike thanked members for attending the AGM and closed the meeting. Monthly Speakers Colin Oakes gave July’s talk on the subject of "Pepys - Fire and Plague". Colin is an archaeologist by profession and has undertaken many excavations across the country. He has a deep interest in the 17th century and over the years has led innumerable walking tours, coach trips and lectured widely. Colin is also a Blue Badge London guide. Pepys is of course best known for his diaries chronicling ten years of his life 1660-1669. Colin did not confine himself to those ten years but took us on a whirlwind tour of Pepys as the son of a tailor who through patronage, good luck and natural intelligence attained high office in the Navy and as an MP in Parliament. But it is the diaries that are the real interest with Pepys’s account of the Fire of London, the Great Plague of London, everyday notes on eating, drinking and entertainment, and, to put it politely, his misbehaviour with innumerable women. A fascinating talk on a fascinating man. (Claire Tomalin’s biography of Pepys is a good read. Ed.) In August, we paused for reflection. Our September speaker Ann Chance’s talk was "Petticoat Pilot", her tales of learning to fly. Ann has previously entertained us with her tales of learning to ride and her subsequent adventures cattle driving in the USA. We did hope that Ann’s flying tales wouldn’t be as chaotic as when she learned to ride! Ann’s desire to fly was kicked off when she took part in a tandem skydive where she decided she quite liked the idea of being in charge of a light aircraft. Ann’s story begins at the age of 53 and a licence gained at 56. In between a lot happened the tales of which had the audience laughing out loud. Phil Holt gave October’s talk entitled "The Red Arrows - Best of British". Phil has been an air traffic controller for over 30 years, served as a reservist in the R.A.F. as a flying instructor and in Maritime Air Region operations. Phil is also involved with airshow organising and continues as an active pilot ...the list is endless. The Red Arrows are not the first RAF aerobatic team, bi-planes were performing aerobatics at Hendon in 1920. The modern(ish) aerobatics started with Hawker Hunters in 1956 when they became known as the Black Arrows (blame the French). Various changes of plane and colour take us to today where the Red Arrows fly BAE Hawks. Pilots don’t stay long, each pilot only gets three years in the Red Arrows before being returned to normal duty. There is also a large engineering team known as The Blues consisting of 85 members. Phil also talked about various manoeuvres, call signs, etc, which are too numerous to list so for more information try this website http://www.raf.mod.uk/reds/ Trips and Events Weald and Downland Open Air Museum In early September a group of our members paid a visit to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex. It was a lovely day with plenty of sunshine, which was appreciated as the museum sn entirely outdoors and spread over a very large area. The range of buildings is extensive dating from the twelfth century up to a Victorian School House. All the buildings were in danger so, to save them they were deconstructed, transported from various locations across Southern England and rebuilt in their original state at the museum. It gives the visitor a insight into the living conditions and lifestyle of the period in which they were constructed As there was more than enough to see in the time that we spent there a second visit would prove equally interesting. Royal Albert Hall Tour and Concert Last October we visited the Royal Albert Hall for the Friendship Concert and a tour of the building which proved to be a great success and very popular with our members; so much so, that we decided to repeat the trip again this year. So, on 18th October we made an early start to arrive in time for a morning coffee before the tour at 11.30am. As we had so many members they divided us into three groups to make the tour, which lasted approximately an hour. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy a lunch break before the concert at 3pm. This year the programme was “The Best of Broadway” and it surely was, with songs from the Musicals, including ‘Gypsy’ ‘Miss Saigon’ ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ ‘Les Miserables’ and many more, finishing with a medley of the songs from ‘Mama Mia’ which was the perfect way to end the concert and leave the audience wishing for more. Trip reports by Angie Pickering. If you have any enquiries regarding this or future events then please contact: Angie & Ken Pickering at: [email protected] Tel. 0118 981 2489 Dates for your diary All monthly meetings are held in Tadley Community Centre. Doors open at 10:45 with the meeting starting at 11:15 and finishing at 13:00. Monthly Meetings 19th January 2017 "40 Years of Catching Smugglers - A Case Study" Malcolm Nelson 16th February 2017 "The John Lewis Partnership” Gavin Henderson 16th March 2017 “Henry VIII” Actor/impersonator Tony Harris Interest Groups A full list of interest groups and Group Leader contact details can be found at the end of this newsletter. The Guitar group is in the process of being set up if you are interested and have not contacted Mike Cassidy then please do so on mcas [email protected] Art & Crafts Group The Art group meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at Heath End Village Hall for a social get together and as a disciplined way to motivate any latent talent we may have for painting, crayoning or anything else loosely called art! There are several stalwarts and some casuals but we would welcome more members, so do come along and give it a try.